Prepare for your DevOps Manager interview. Understand the required skills and qualifications, anticipate the questions you may be asked, and study well-prepared answers using our sample responses.
This question can help the interviewer determine your level of expertise in the DevOps field. If you have prior experience with continuous integration, share what you know about this process and how it helped your team achieve success. If you don’t have any experience with continuous integration, you can explain what other similar processes are like and how they helped your organization.
Answer Example: "Continuous integration is a software development practice where developers integrate code into a central repository several times a day. This allows testers to ensure that the latest changes don’t cause any issues with existing code. If there are any problems, they can fix them immediately before they become more complicated. This method also helps developers identify any issues early on so they can be fixed quickly."
This question can help the interviewer determine if you have the skills and abilities needed to be successful in this role. Use your answer to highlight some of your most important qualities, such as communication skills, problem-solving ability and leadership skills.
Answer Example: "Successful DevOps managers need to have excellent communication skills, as they are often the bridge between development and operations teams. They also need to be able to problem-solve quickly, as they may encounter issues that need to be addressed immediately. Finally, I believe it’s important for DevOps managers to be able to lead by example and provide guidance and support to their teams."
This question can help the interviewer understand your perspective on how IT and business departments work together. Your answer should show that you understand the importance of collaboration between these two departments and how it can benefit a company.
Answer Example: "The relationship between IT and business departments is one of mutual cooperation and support. As a DevOps manager, I understand that IT is responsible for providing the necessary infrastructure and software needed to support business operations, while the business side needs to provide clear goals and objectives so that IT can meet those requirements. By working together, both departments can create a system that meets the needs of the company while also ensuring efficiency and cost-effectiveness."
The interviewer may ask this question to gauge your comfort level with the idea of continuous improvement. This is an important part of the DevOps process, and the interviewer wants to make sure you’re able to implement changes in your organization’s processes. In your answer, explain how you feel about continuous improvement and what steps you take to improve your own work.
Answer Example: "Absolutely. I believe that continuous improvement is essential for any organization that wants to stay competitive. At my last job, I was in charge of managing our server infrastructure, and I implemented several processes to make sure we were always improving our efficiency. For example, I started using automated testing tools to ensure that any changes we made to our servers didn’t cause any issues."
This question can help the interviewer determine if you have experience working in a collaborative environment. As a DevOps manager, you will likely work with a team of developers and engineers who are responsible for creating and maintaining systems and applications. This team collaboration is important because it helps ensure that projects are completed on time and within budget.
Answer Example: "Absolutely. I’ve worked with teams of developers and engineers before and I understand the importance of communication and collaboration. I always make sure that everyone is aware of what they need to be doing so we can ensure that projects are completed efficiently. In my last role, I worked with a team of five developers and two engineers, and we were able to complete projects within budget and on time."
This question can help the interviewer determine your level of expertise with DevOps and how you apply it in your work. Use this opportunity to highlight any specific tools or technologies that you use regularly in your role as a DevOps manager.
Answer Example: "I use several tools and technologies for DevOps, including Jenkins, Chef, Docker and Kubernetes. These are some of the most popular tools in the DevOps space, and I’m very familiar with how to use them effectively. I also regularly use GitHub for version control, JIRA for project management and Slack for communication."
DevOps managers are responsible for maintaining a positive and productive work environment. Employers ask this question to make sure you have experience doing so and can provide examples of how you did so in the past. In your answer, share two or three strategies that you use to encourage collaboration among your team members.
Answer Example: "I believe that maintaining a positive and productive work environment starts with me. I try to be as positive as possible when interacting with others and I always look for ways to help others succeed. I also encourage my team members to do the same. We have regular meetings where we discuss any issues or challenges we’re facing and brainstorm ways to overcome them. This allows us to stay on track with our goals while also helping us grow as individuals."
This question can help the interviewer determine your level of expertise in the DevOps field. It’s important to show that you have at least some knowledge of the leading tools in the industry, but it’s also beneficial to mention any other tools that you’ve used in previous roles.
Answer Example: "Yes, I am familiar with several leading DevOps tools. I have been working in the field for five years, so I have had the opportunity to try many different ones. Some of the most popular ones I’ve used include Chef, Puppet, Ansible, Jenkins, and Docker. I also have experience with cloud-based DevOps platforms such as AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform."
This question can help the interviewer determine if you have the skills and experience needed to be successful in this role. Use your answer to highlight some of your most important qualities, such as communication skills, problem-solving ability and teamwork.
Answer Example: "Successful DevOps implementations require a combination of technical and non-technical skills. On the technical side, I believe that an understanding of both development and operations is essential. I also think that having an understanding of cloud computing and automation technologies like Docker, Kubernetes, and Ansible are beneficial."
This question can help the interviewer understand how you would manage a team of remote developers. Your answer should show that you have experience working with people across different locations and time zones, as well as how you would communicate with them effectively.
Answer Example: "I believe it’s important to have regular meetings with my team members to discuss their progress on projects and any challenges they’re facing. I would also use video conferencing software like Skype or Google Hangouts to have virtual meetings with my team members so we can all participate in the discussion. This can help me stay in touch with everyone’s progress and ensure that everyone is up to date on what’s happening within the company."
Monitoring and alerting tools are essential for effective DevOps management. The interviewer may ask this question to learn about your experience with these tools and how you use them in your work. Use your answer to highlight any specific tools you have experience using and explain how they helped you achieve success in your previous roles.
Answer Example: "I have extensive experience with monitoring and alerting tools. I have worked with several different platforms, including Nagios, Zabbix and Prometheus. In my last role as a DevOps manager, I implemented Prometheus for our organization’s monitoring needs. We found that Prometheus was much easier to use than other tools because of its user-friendly interface. It also provided us with more detailed data than other tools."
The interviewer may ask this question to gauge your comfort level working with a variety of people. It’s important to show that you can collaborate with others, especially if your role requires you to work with developers and IT professionals. Use examples from past experiences where you worked well with teams of professionals and how your collaboration helped achieve goals or objectives.
Answer Example: "Absolutely. I’ve worked with many different types of teams throughout my career, and I’m always eager to learn new things. I’m confident that I can fit in well with any group of people because I’m an adaptable person. In fact, I’ve found that working with different types of people is one of my strongest skills. I always try to understand where others are coming from and find common ground. This helps me build strong relationships with others and leads to better collaboration."
This question is your opportunity to show the interviewer that you possess the skills and abilities needed to be a successful DevOps manager. You can answer this question by listing some of the most important qualities, such as communication skills, leadership ability and problem-solving capability.
Answer Example: "I believe the most important quality a DevOps manager should have is communication. A DevOps manager needs to be able to effectively communicate with all members of the team, including developers, testers and engineers. They also need to be able to communicate with other departments, such as marketing and sales, to ensure that their team’s efforts are aligned with the company’s goals."
This question can help the interviewer get a better sense of your leadership skills and how you would create an environment where your team members feel comfortable working together. Use examples from previous projects or teams where you helped create a positive team environment, and explain what steps you took to make sure everyone was on the same page and working towards the same goals.
Answer Example: "I believe it’s important to create a cohesive team environment by first understanding each employee’s unique strengths and weaknesses. This allows me to create individual development plans for each team member that focuses on improving their skills while also allowing them to contribute to the overall success of the project. I also make sure to regularly hold meetings where everyone can discuss any issues or concerns they may have so we can work through them as a group."
The interviewer may ask this question to gauge your knowledge of the DevOps philosophy and how it relates to the role. If you are not familiar with the philosophy, it is important to show that you are willing to learn more about it. You can answer this question by explaining what you do know about the DevOps philosophy and what steps you would take to learn more about it.
Answer Example: "The DevOps philosophy is all about collaboration between developers and operations professionals. It focuses on improving communication between teams, reducing downtime and creating a more efficient workflow. I’ve worked in IT for many years, so I’m familiar with the importance of collaboration. However, I would definitely like to learn more about the specifics of the DevOps philosophy."
This question can help the interviewer determine if you have the skills and abilities needed to succeed in this role. Use your answer to highlight some of your most important qualities, such as communication skills, problem-solving ability and leadership skills.
Answer Example: "Successful DevOps managers need to be able to communicate effectively with their team members, as well as other members of the organization. They also need to be able to problem-solve quickly when issues arise and come up with effective solutions. Finally, I believe it’s important for a DevOps manager to have strong leadership skills so they can motivate their team to achieve their goals."
This question can help the interviewer understand how you might manage their team. Your answer should include a few examples of how you’ve managed teams in the past and what strategies have been most successful.
Answer Example: "I believe in being a supportive and encouraging manager who encourages collaboration among my team members. I try to create an environment where everyone feels comfortable sharing ideas and suggestions, even if they differ from mine. In my last role as a DevOps manager, I noticed that many of my team members were hesitant to speak up during meetings. To encourage them to share their thoughts, I started asking questions during meetings that required everyone to answer. This strategy helped me get to know each member of my team better and enabled them to feel more confident in sharing their opinions."
This question can help the interviewer understand your experience with managing a team and how you interact with developers. Use examples from previous roles to describe how you helped your team achieve their goals, meet deadlines and work together effectively.
Answer Example: "In my last role as a DevOps manager, I was responsible for managing a team of five developers. We worked together to create a project plan at the beginning of each month that outlined our goals for the month. I met with each developer individually to discuss their tasks for the month and make sure they were comfortable with their assignments. This helped me get to know each member of my team and ensure they were able to complete their work efficiently."
This question can help the interviewer understand how you handle conflict and whether you have experience dealing with challenging people. Use examples from previous jobs to explain what happened, how you handled it and what the outcome was.
Answer Example: "In my last role as a DevOps manager, one of my clients was very demanding when it came to meeting their deadlines. They would often call me at all hours of the day with questions about their project and request changes that could take up a lot of my time. To resolve this issue, I implemented a system where the client would have to submit all questions in writing so I could respond via email. This helped me stay organized while also ensuring the client received a timely response."
This question allows you to show the interviewer what your priorities are and how you plan to use your skills to benefit their company. Your answer should include a specific example of something you would do as a DevOps manager to improve the company’s operations.
Answer Example: "My first priority as a DevOps manager would be to assess the current state of the team’s processes and procedures. I would then create a plan for improving these processes by implementing new tools and technologies. This will allow me to better understand the current state of the system and identify areas for improvement."
